1 In 10 Internet users buys virtual goods -- Virtual Goods -- InformationWeek

Virtual weapons, Facebook favors and other forms of digital currency are a growing market, according to a survey released Thursday, with 12 percent of Americans saying they spent real money on these items in the last year.

The heaviest buyers of these objects -- which are bought over the Internet and exchanged through online games, social networks, and virtual worlds such as Second Life -- appear to be young and middle-aged women ages 12 to 44, although they were also purchased by young men...